


This Isn't a Caper

by GardenEye



Category: Carmen Sandiego (Cartoon 2019)
Genre: Abduction, Gen, Kidnapping, Manhandling, Threats of Violence, Vile academy, acme, vile - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-10-20
Updated: 2019-10-25
Packaged: 2020-12-12 04:29:51
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 4,584
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20979710
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/GardenEye/pseuds/GardenEye
Summary: It was destined to happen someday. At least he assumed it would. Player knew that he was Carmen's secret advantage, and if anyone wanted to take away her upper hand, they would definitely attempt to remove him from the picture. As long as no one knew he was involved, he would be safe. Of course, someone found out that he was involved.Edit: I'm terribly sorry for the long wait on the next update. I swear I have NOT abandoned this fic and will update again soon!





	1. T Is For Tough Luck

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which the story is introduced

Player never thought anyone would find him, let alone know that he was even in the picture. He was always sure to lock all of his servers and block anyone from interfering with his verbal communications. He even had built-in devices to keep out malware, because of course, when you're dealing with an extremely wanted super theif you _have_ to take precautions. Even with all of this, he wasn't sure what gave him away. Maybe it was the fact that Carmen would appear to be talking to someone while on her missions, which was entirely true since she was talking to him. 

Of course, even if someone did see her speaking when no one else was present, there would be no way for an outsider to tell who she was talking to. That's why Player never worried about it or addressed the issue with Carmen. He didn't care. He never thought that he would be in danger just because someone knew that she had a chairman behind the scenes. Honestly, if he wasn't involved with her he would simply assume that she had someone giving her directions anyway since every super-agent has one. 

None of this was a problem until Carmen loses her earpiece in combat. 

Player wasn't aware until a few minutes after it happened, because of course, he had no way to track or contact carmen. He had run checks through the service to see if it had simply malfunctioned, or if she had muted herself because of something that was happening that she didn't want him to see. (For whatever reason) About ten minutes passed before he heard anything from anyone except Ivy, who was keeping him updated on her and Zack's separate part of the caper. Carmen had successfully completed her task and had reached their makeshift 'base.' She used her computer to facetime with him and of course, he was concerned as to why he couldn't talk to his best friend while she was in such a tight situation. 

As soon as she tells him that she lost her earpiece Player freezes up. This is how it starts.

She tells him to cut the connection with the device as soon as possible. Of course, she doesn't fully understand what's at risk there. It's not as simple as 'turn it off and everything will be fine.' If someone gets ahold of the earpiece, within seconds they could access it, de-code it, retrace his signature, then find out where he lives, where he sleeps, where his room in his house is. And they most certainly don't want that. At all. 

Player acts fast and disconnects with the lost ear device and shuts down any connections it has with him. The problem is, it's already been fourteen and a half minutes. Being realistic, if a normal joe found it, or even a vile or acme member, they would have to get to a computer or database to be able to decode it. Could they have done that in such a short amount of time? Who's to say anyone even found it? It could be crushed and on the ground for all they know. 

Carmen tells him not to worry, and he doesn't. He trusts her. Player talks about it with her and Ivy and makes sure that they understand the worst-case scenarios of what could happen. 

"I'll have to mail you another earpiece, Red." He tells her, and of course, he will. He's never _not_ in the mood to program something. It's what he does best. 

Player falls asleep that night at two in the morning, admittedly not by his judgment. Carmen tells him to get some rest, even though it's seven in the morning where she is, and he does what she suggests. He could have spent hours worrying in that bed of his. Just lying there, feeling paranoid. But he's so tired he knocks out only seconds after he hits the mattress. His comforter isn't even over him, he's just lying there on top of the bed like a sim. 

Player wakes up the next morning really late, which is unusual to him. Other than that, nothing out of the normal happens that day. Or the next. Or the one after that. Before he knows it, five days have gone by and still, there's no sign of anyone who has caught his scent. He's beginning to think that they're in the clear and that the earpiece was disabled just in time to prevent anyone from tracking them. 

On the sixth day after the incident, things start to look different. 

Player notices little breaks in his and Carmen's conversations. They're choppy, almost as if one transmission is trying to give access to another. His computer gets glitchy, too. He gets a notice that one of his nine VPNs has detected a virus or an incognito _worm_ that has snuck its way into the system. He gets nervous. 

"Red, I think... someone's trying to hack into my computer." He tells her.

"Wait, what? How?" 

"I um... I don't know, but It might have to do with that earpiece we lost last week." 

"Player, it'll be okay. You don't have to be so paranoid about that. Besides, how much information can someone get from that little communicator?" She asks, slightly brushing it off. "We'll keep a lookout for you, okay?"

The problem is, every piece of technology he's programmed is intensely complex, meaning that most everything is linked to each other in some small and sensitive way. It would be difficult, but an extremely talented mind could disassemble the code left behind, and discover some very important information that Player made sure he kept locked up-tight. 

Player so desperately wanted to play it safe and give carmen a tracker of his own, so if something does end up happening to him they would know where he was. As helpful as that sounds, it could easily backfire. If anyone else gets their hands on that tracker that would be entirely against the point. 

"Carmen, I don't know what to do. What if something bad happens? Like, something _really_ bad." He stammers. 

"I don't know either... Just..." She hesitates. "All we can do is hope for the best. We've got your back, Player." 

_Nothing else unusual happens for the next three days._

* * *

Player drowsily opened his gray eyes.

His room was pitch black, as usual, so he knew it was not yet dawn. The warmth of his full-sized bed was comforting and slowly coaxed his waking mind back to rest. He felt safe, truly safe for the first time in the past nine days- as if nothing bad could happen to him at that very moment. Player closes his eyes and waits for sleep to overcome his consciousness. Sheltered and warm, he doesn't notice the subtle click of the front door opening and closing downstairs.

One floor below Player's bedroom, a group of three men wearing dark clothing quietly enter the household. Although the residence is quite generous in its size, they are not here to steal any material possessions. They're here for the boy upstairs, whose oblivious to the intruders that have just entered his parents home. 

They silently hurry their way across the living room and up the wooden staircase, making hand signals to each other along the way. Once they reach the second floor they make a left and walk down the hallway in search of their target's bedroom. Each of them is reciting the plan in their heads - kidnap the one named "player" and search any monitors for information. 

Meanwhile, Player, who was already half-asleep, notices a sound in the back of his head. It's subtle, but he thinks he hears footsteps coming from the hallway. He hesitates in believing himself. Maybe it's just his mind playing tricks on him, wishing for sleep to reclaim him, but maybe, just maybe, there really is something _wrong._

It doesn't take but a few seconds for anxieties to slip into his thoughts and Player is sitting straight up in his bed, staring at his door. His eyes are wide open and peering through the darkness trying to see any type of indication there's another presence. Even the slight turn of a door handle. Anything at all. But no more sounds come from the hallway. 

Maybe it's just mom.

...

Maybe it's not.

Player contemplates turning on his lamp, but he decides against it. If there really was an intruder outside his bedroom door, turning on a light would be a dead giveaway. _Just let them think that you're asleep._ He gets out of the cocoon of his bedsheets as quietly as possible and makes his way over to his 'wall' of computers. If anything is about to happen to him, he needs to let carmen know. He needs to tell her that he's in danger... not that there's much that she can do about it since she's halfway across the world. 

A quiet _thump_ across the hall confirms his suspicions. There is, in fact, someone else in his house. Heck, there are possibly multiple people. The question is, are they here for money, or are they here for something else. 

Player knows that as soon as he turns on the computer the screens will make a beacon of light and that he'll have to turn down the brightness as soon as possible. He knows this was a serious risk, and that this could easily give him away. They were definitely looking for something, and he had a sneaking suspicion that something was him. Player bit his lip as his finger hovered over the keyboard, and with one gesture, his room was illuminated. 

His monitors buzzed to life and he immediately spammed the brightness controls on the keyboard, lowering the amount of light being produced by the numerous screens. He heard movement outside his door. 

Player hurriedly typed in his password, hands shaking, and then accessed his computer script pages. He typed in two codes that he's never used before. The first one is to send an emergency message to carmen, or anyone that was at their computer. The second one was to lock all of his files and send the computers into a deep shutdown. He didn't want to give anyone the opportunity of finding private and important information involving his work and his friends. 

As a last resort, he grabbed his communication headwear that he's used to talk with Carmen for almost four years now, and gives it a sad last look. Then he throws it on the ground and steps on it, cracking the shell of the hardware and ruining the tech inside. The loud noise grabbing the attention of the intruders only a few doors over from his room. Player's breath hitched.

His eyes scanned the room to look for anything he could use to protect himself. A baseball bat in the opening of his closet caught his attention. He never got to use that bat before anyway, so might as well make use of it now. Player stood standing at the far corner of his room, baseball bat steady, waiting for someone to kick open the door and barge in. 

Someone, in the darkness, slowly turned the doorknob and cracked open the door. Player contemplated making the first move. Would whacking him on the head make much of a difference? He didn't even know how many there were... 

As soon as the figure opened the door all the way Player made up his mind. He could barely see the man in his room, but he gathered his courage and swung his bat as hard as he could into the head of the intruder, causing him to stumble to the ground. The man let out a cut off scream just before Player swung it down again on the man's knees, an audible snap signifying them breaking. 

Player panted heavily as two more men came running into his room. He swung the bat once more as they approached him and managed to hit someone in the shoulder before he was body-slammed into the wall. He bit his lip as the man punched him in the stomach, over and over again as Player clawed at his body, struggling to push him off. Every contact of his fist made it harder to breathe, and soon Player found himself struggling to think straight. When the man finally stopped assaulting him, player was in immense pain and groaned as he slid down the wall, afraid to move more than he had to. 

A concerned voice from upstairs of someone panicking and calling out his real name reached his senses before someone put a cloth over his mouth and forced him to breathe in. Player knew exactly what this was - Clorophorm - and he'd watched enough spy movies to figure out what happens next. Player hardly felt anything else as he was drugged, except for the tying of his arms behind his back and a sack being placed over his head, making the room seem darker than it already was. After picking up whatever lose flash drives they could find from his desk (some of which were completely useless or empty) one of the intruders lifts his body off the ground. 

He fell into unconsciousness as a man carried his limp body down the stairs like a sack of dirt, and rushed back out the front door the way he came in. The man Player injured was limping out beside them with the help of the last intruder. 

They threw his unconscious body into the trunk of a utility vehicle and locked the door behind them. Then they got in the car just as they heard sirens in the background, and drove off as fast as they could, in the direction of the North Atlantic Ocean. They were heading to the Isle of V.I.L.E. 


	2. The Grind Never Stops

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A canary and some cobras.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you're reading this, thanks for sticking around! There are no warnings for this chapter.

Player jerked awake when the car ran over a speed bump. He couldn't see of course, because of the bag over his head, and he was also strictly constrained due to the ropes tied around his wrists and ankles. So... in reality, he wasn't able to do more than shuffle around. 

Anyone in this situation would most likely start panicking, but not Player. He decides that he can handle whatever this is for Carmen, his parents, and most importantly himself. Besides, he already sent an SOS to Red. She should at least be investigating at this point. So, he's not completely in the dark... at least not figuratively. 

He analyzes his surroundings with the senses he's able to use and concludes from the sound of a smoothly buzzing engine and the rugged carpeted surface beneath him, that he is in the trunk of a car. His hands dig into the rough bristles that annoyingly poke at his skin. 

He rests his head back down on the floor of the trunk and sighs. Although he's only just woken up, he's already exhausted. Unfortunately, the cold air-conditioning circulating him keeps him wide awake. He's thankful that he wore really warm sweatpants to bed, but his short-sleeved graphic tee isn't doing much to help. Player shivers in his bonds, and he's not sure if it's because of the cold or the waking realization that he's stuffed in the back of a car, heading who knows where in the middle of the night. 

Player's honestly not sure what to do next. His instincts tell him to fight, but would that be an educated decision? He decides that right at that moment, all he can do is wait for however long he has to. Just wait and _scheme._

* * *

It takes almost _five _more hours for the car to finally stop. Five hours of tossing and turning in a carpeted trunk, without bathroom breaks or food. Player is fidgety. As a multitasker, and a Whitehat hacker, he's not used to sitting around and doing nothing for thirty minutes, let alone five hours. He's broken into an intense sweat and is rubbing his palms together behind his back. His breathing seems too loud but trying to stifle it only makes him feel more lightheaded. He lets out a few rugged pants and then inhales deeply, trying to focus on staying calm. He _needed _something to do. He's already tried rehearsing every primary number he knows in his head. He's kept track of how many bumps the car speeds over. 

Player contemplates cursing loud enough for the driver to hear him, but that seems pointless since the car has already stopped, and most likely will give his captors a sense of victory.

Unfortunately for him, nothing happens for about half an hour more. At first, Player is confused. Have the others in the car fallen asleep? Then realization dawns on him. They're probably parked on a Ferry. 

_Great_, he thinks. _Across waters. This will definitely make it harder for me to get back home. _

After an extremely uneventful period, a door on the right side of the car slams shut and he hears footsteps approaching the back end of the vehicle. Then he hears the jangling of keys and before he knows it the door of the trunk is being lifted open and a bright wave of light washes over him. It brightens his surroundings despite the black fabric bag over his head. 

Player prepares to act as stubborn as possible, not willing to make this easy for the people surrounding him. As he lifts his head, two people reach in and untie the thick rope around his ankles, presumably for him to be able to walk. He swings his leg out, attempting to kick someone, but they grab him by the shirt, dodging his attack, and pull him out of the car. He stumbles as he gets out, nearly losing his balance. 

As soon as he's outside the car, he notices that it is very humid where they are. Humid and warm. He catches the scent of the ocean (not one that he knows too well since he lives in the middle of Canada) and the sound of seagulls squawking somewhere in the distance. 

Player struggles defiantly, pressing backward after every step that his kidnappers force him to take towards an unknown location. He's hoisted upward and placed on what seems like a dock - proving his speculations of a ferry to be correct. No one says anything, as if this is just everyday business. To be honest, it probably is to them.

After a treck up a paved pathway leading uphill, he finds himself being pushed under a roof and into a building. A strong gush of air conditioning welcomes the group into the interior. If he were being honest, he would say that the cooler change in temperature was almost pleasant, and the fact that it sounded as if they were inside of an indoor pool was inviting. Of course, he refused to admit that anything about this situation was pleasant. 

It wasn't. 

Player gathered as much as he could about his surroundings. He hears voices echoing up and down the hallways. The clacking of shoes on the floor suggests that it's probably some kind of marble material. Most likely so, since he _is_ still barefoot, and the tile underneath him is so cold that he feels the need to walk faster, which is embarrassing in itself. That would also explain the intense echoing.

That's all he can conclude about his surroundings since he's tied, and blind until whoever's in charge decides to take off the bag. He's unable to determine what kind of building he's being forced into and he isn't sure whether to be glad that this isn't a dirty warehouse but an expensive workplace type-setting. 

Player is steered sharply to the left, and then a right, and then a few more seemingly unnecessary turns and before he knows it Player can't remember exactly how many to take in order to get back to the exit. All he remembers is that he's taken onto an elevator, and it goes down. So to escape back to what he assumes is the main floor, he has to go up. It's almost impressive that they managed to confuse a hacker like him, but then again he's sort-of at a disadvantage, being unable to see and all. 

He's guided down another set of hallways, his arms still being held behind his back. Not long after, he hears the brush of a very heavy sounding door being pushed open. 

His assaulters walk him forward a few steps and then push him to the floor. Player lands on his knees, he grimaces in slight pain as they hit the solid floor. Although the hand holding his wrists releases its grip, he's still bound by the tight rope that has long since began irritated his skin. Someone grabs the fabric bag around his head and tugs it off, nearly choking Player in the progress. 

Player's eyes don't have to adjust much because the room is already pretty dark. The floor has black marble tiles. The walls are also black, and so is the ceiling. Then he notices luminescent green banners that have been hung along the walls, and he immediately knows what's behind all of this. 

_Vile_. Carmen's greatest enemy. He'd be lying if he said he didn't suspect that they were the cause of this since it all started. 

His eyes widen as he notices the four figures sitting at the expansive table in front of them. The table is set on a higher level of flooring, so it appears as though they are towering over him, especially since he's on his knees. He swallows, knowing that he's in for a ride. 

"Player... I presume?" Says a woman wearing an elaborate fern colored dress, golden hoop earrings and long black gloves. _Countess Cleo, _Player decides. He chooses not to respond to her. He's not sure what to say, and fears he'll regret whatever he does. 

A large and broad woman with parakeet colored hair didn't take well to his silence. "Speak when you're spoken to, boy." She glowered. She had a thick country accent, which he's not sure where from since they're currently on an island. He assumes this is the infamous coach brunt. 

Player stubbornly stares directly at them. Honestly, he'd rather be looking anywhere else, but he refuses to show any weakness. However, he's careful not to have a challenging expression because he thinks that aggravating a group of hostile cobras isn't a wise decision. 

"Not gonna speak huh?" She says. "Guess we'll have to do this the hard way." She says, loudly cracking her large knuckles. Player tenses up, beginning to rethink his decision. She begins to stand but is interrupted by who Player assumes is Dr. Bellum. "Wait," she says, mischief glistening through her glasses. "Perhaps, we should persuade him another way?" She says suggestively, beckoning with her eyes over towards a few glowing devices hanging on the wall. 

Before Player even gets a good look at the electronic staffs, he decides that they're not something he wants to deal with. "Why does it matter?" He asks. Everyone's eyes turn to him. "I'm here." _Unfortunately._ "What the hell do you want?" 

He scolds himself for breaking the 'stay on their good side' rule. That was the perfect way of pissing them off. _Great job, Player. _

Thankfully, they don't seem to be offended by his choice of words and are moreover content with his decision to talk. Coach brunt, on the other hand, looks disappointed that she doesn't get to persuade him to speak in a more _forceful_ way. 

"What we want..." continues Dr. Bellum. "Is intel on a certain _Carmen Sandiego._" She claims menacingly, the glint never leaving from her glasses. "Maybe even a trophy to make her more... motivated to turn herself over?" She says again. An extremely pale and venomous looking man with silver hair grins at her comment. 

_Shoot._

Player isn't sure whether or not he should play it dumb. He's not sure how much they already know, and he's not going to risk giving anything away. Maybe playing it safe is the best option? "Wait- you said want intel on who?" He questioned, raising an eyebrow. 

"Carmen Sandiego. We know you are associated with her." Said Countess Cleo. 

The lean, pale man who hasn't spoken a word finally adds to the conversation. "Don't try lying about it. We've already accessed some of your previous exchanges through a communicator your friend has so clumsily let slip her notice." His voice was grainy, clearly from his old age. 

_So they_ did_ find it._

Player suddenly felt nauseous. Not once in his life did he think about how he would defend himself in a situation like this. He didn't want to give away the rest of the team, but he would prefer not to suffer either. 

"Wow, you guys, that's low- even for you. kidnapping a teenager because you can't catch one of your ex-thieves by yourself?" Player rebuked. Professor Maelstrom growled, shooting him a displeased frown. Player continued. "And keeping me as a hostage?! Well, guess what-" Player paused for a second, buying himself some time to think up something that would convince them. "Carmen won't come looking for me." He lied. "I'm disposable to her. She has other people to manage with." He did his best to look pitiful, as frustrating as that was. Maybe that would convince them that what he was saying was true. 

He knew that if his presentation wasn't believable they would know he's trying to deceive them. They've probably encountered many hostages who have tried the same thing, so they're also probably good at recognizing when someone's lying.

However, to Player's luck, his acting skills seemed to have sufficed. The four figures at the room width table glace at each other, pondering on Player's words. Countess Cleo raises a hand to her mouth and whispers a few words to her partners, shielding their conversation from Player.

Dr. Bellum faces Player and the others join her. "Although your claims are quite interesting, Player, we've thought this through before." She says with a strange calmness. 

"There's nothing you can do to change our minds, sugar." Continues Coach Brunt. "Now, in the meantime, you need to learn some manners." She says. 

"Wait, why are you keeping me here? I already told you, Carmen's not-" 

"We don't care what you've said! For all we know, you're _lying_." Maelstrom declared. "Whether Carmen searches for you or not, we have _other _reasons for keeping you here." 

_Other reasons? What more could they possibly want to do with him? _

Player winces at the thought of vile academy students using him as target practice. 

"Take him away. We'll attend to him _later." _He hissed. 

Player freezes, preparing himself for whatever happens next. "What would you like us to do, boss?" A female behind him asks. 

"Sedate him." Says Dr. Bellum, coldly.

Player tenses, a gasp leaving him. "What!-" he exclaims and tries to dodge the hand reaching for him. The captors take a hold of him and force his head forward, exposing his neck. Someone grips it with a large hand and pulls out a menacing syringe. 

Player shuts his eyes and bites his lip as he feels something cold touching the back of his neck. Struggling might cause them to accidentally hit something important, so he stays still. He lets out a whimper as they inject the sedative into his system, and within seconds he's out cold. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'll do my best to update from here on out. Expect an update every one or two weeks, at the most three weeks in between. Also, I would once again really appreciate it if you left a comment about your thoughts!  
As always, feel free to inform me of any mistakes I might have made as well.

**Author's Note:**

> I appreciate your attention, and thanks for clicking on this story!


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